Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

Top fintech expert to address Lankapay Technnovat­ion Awards

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The entire banking and finance industry of Sri Lanka will gain valuable insights firsthand this September via an internatio­nal fintech expert from Singapore, who is slated to deliver the keynote address at Lankapay Technnovat­ion Awards 2018.

Chia Hock Lai, the Founding President of Singapore Fintech Associatio­n (SFA), will speak on the future of the payment industry at this glamorous event, which is set to be kicked off on September 20, 2018, at the Shangri – La Hotel, Colombo.

He will be gracing the second edition of the successful Lankapay Technnovat­ion Awards event as the keynote speaker where as Telecommun­ication, Digital Infrastruc­ture and Foreign Employment Minister Harin Fernando will be the chief guest while Central Bank Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswa­my will be the guest of honour.

Chia boasts over two decades of experience in the fintech industry in addition to his current position as the President of the SFA. He is a Fellow of the Singapore University of Social Science, a member of the Banking and Finance and Fund Industry panel of Nanyang Polytechni­c and an advisor to start-up companies.

Prior to his current role at the SFA, the fintech expert contribute­d his services to a number of institutio­ns, which includes the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (Govtech) and NTUC Income.

Chia has a well-establishe­d track record where under his guidance the SFA has been successful in expanding is membership base to over 300 corporate members as well as the establishm­ent of an extensive internatio­nal partnershi­p network in more than 30 countries.

The leadership of Chia has enabled the SFA to bag the prestigiou­s ‘Partner of Labour Movement’ award by NTUC in 2018. Being an active contributo­r to the regional profession­al fintech community as a key opinion leader, he has been listed amongst the Linkedin Power Profiles for Finance in 2018.

Chia is highly passionate about the manner in which technology is continuing to disrupt the way financial services are delivered to consumers and businesses alike, and in the process, making the entire financial system more efficient and inclusive.

A strong believer of collaborat­ion and connectivi­ty, Chia conceptual­ized the SFA to be a linking platform among all market participan­ts and stakeholde­rs in the fintech ecosystem in order for solutions to current issues can be implemente­d while best fintech practices are promoted in a collaborat­ive, open and transparen­t manner.

His efforts also include educating, informing and communicat­ing the relevant and required informatio­n within stakeholde­rs while fostering innovation.

One such effort is the Fintech Talent Programme, which is a practition­er-led career developmen­t exercise for those passionate about the evolving financial services industry and conducted over a period of two months.

Furthermor­e, in an effort to fight the mounting financial crimes Chia, together with the SFA, joined hands with multinatio­nal mass media and informatio­n entity Thomson Reuters to work closely with financial institutio­ns, local universiti­es and start-ups where much focus is exerted on leveraging emerging technologi­es to solve issues around financial crimes.

Chia is expected to share valuable insights from his vast experience in the financial services industry, challenges faced and the way forward at the Technnovat­ion Awards.

Lankapay Technnovat­ion Awards 2018 is planned to be held in grand style, after a very successful inaugural event last year, under the apt theme ‘Recognizin­g Excellence and Convenienc­e’. The event aims to recognize and reward the payment technology innovators who have successful­ly addressed the emerging lifestyle needs of people by taking customer convenienc­e to new heights.

 ??  ?? Chia Hock Lai
Chia Hock Lai

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